The Vermont Public Service Board ordered FairPoint to issue bill credits, improve customer notification and invest in additional rural broadband service in the state as the PSB settlement for a service quality investigation pending since December 2014, said the telco in a Friday news release. The order said operational and network changes happened since the start of the investigation, including returning service quality to "normal levels," noted the telco. FairPoint will be required to pay bill credits to eligible customers who had out-of-service repair delays just before and during a labor strike, it said. The PSB requires FairPoint to provide clear guidance for phone customers who are eligible for such credits in the future. Because of significant changes in telecom in the past several years, the PSB said it will open a new docket to review the scope of regulatory obligations applicable to FairPoint.

Arizona Corporation Commission Chairwoman Susan Bitter Smith resigned after filing a response to Attorney General Mark Brnovich's (R) petition to remove her from the ACC position for conflict of interest (see 1512010060). The ACC has "important work" ahead of it, which is why Bitter Smith said she is concerned the AG's petition will create distractions from the commission's duties, the chairwoman said during a news conference announcing her resignation Thursday. Bitter Smith's resignation is effective Jan. 4. The AG alleged in the petition to the state Supreme Court that Bitter Smith is a registered lobbyist and executive for Southwest Cable Communications Association, an association of cable companies regulated by the ACC, so she's ineligible to hold office.

Marion County, Florida, picked Airbus DS Communications to build the its next-generation 911 system, said a news release from Airbus. The system will serve the county’s 350,000 residents and handle more than 700,000 calls per day. Instead of operating two separate public safety answering points, Airbus said its Vesta 911 system will consolidate the county’s call centers to operate as one entity.

Alaska Communications Services Group doesn't support the entire Consensus Alaska Plan as proposed by Alaska Telecommunications Association, said Alaska Communications in an FCC filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90. The plan doesn't address the need for adequate and affordable terrestrial middle-mile service that is needed to reach universal service reform, Alaska Communications said. The company submitted its own proposal called "Closing the middle mile gap in Alaska: A proposed plan of action for all of Alaska." It said that "allows the commission to fulfill its statutory duty to ensure that all Americans, including Alaskans, have access to reasonably comparable, affordable, advanced broadband capability."

The California Department of Motor Vehicles released draft regulations on equipment requirements, performance standards, safety certifications and other issues for the operation of autonomous vehicles. "These regulations create a framework that allows manufacturers to transition from testing to deployment, promotes the continued development of autonomous vehicle technology, and ensures that autonomous vehicle technology is deployed in a safe and responsible manner on California public roads," said a DMV summary. The draft includes a provision that requires manufacturers to notify operators about data "collected by the autonomous technology that is not necessary for the safe operation of the vehicle." The provision said manufacturers must get written approval from the operator to allow for that collection. The state agency plans two workshops -- Jan. 28 in Sacramento and Feb. 2 in Los Angeles -- to get feedback.

Residents of Doe Bay on Orcas Island in Washington state banded together to create their own wireless Internet network that gets service to a section of the island not served by an incumbent, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) said. The Doe Bay Internet Users Association gets its signal from StarTouch Broadband Services via microwave from Mount Vernon on the mainland. Via a series of radios mounted on the community's water tower, houses and tall trees, the network serves about 50 homes with speeds of 30 Mbps download and 40 Mbps upload, ILSR said.

The new 959 area code is being introduced in the Connecticut calling region that the 860 area code serves, said a news release from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. PURA said it approved the area code as an overlay to the 860 region to meet customer demand. Customers won't have to change their existing area code, personal phone numbers, or how they dial calls, it said.

Dominion will provide Verizon with pole license agreements and a survey Dominion referenced in its response in a pole attachment case by Jan. 15, said a filing with the FCC Enforcement Bureau posted Tuesday in docket 15-190. Verizon will file its pole attachment complaint reply by Feb. 9, the filing said. Dominion isn't seeking information from Verizon but reserves the right to file a sur-reply if it feels Verizon's facts aren't supported by documentation.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission ruled that Frontier Communications must lease part of its broadband service to rival Citynet, said a PSC order last week in case No. 14-1295-T-C. The commission upheld most of an administrative law judge’s decision requiring Frontier to lease unused fiber to Citynet in several rural communities (see 1410070052). Citynet filed a complaint with the PSC in August 2014, accusing Frontier of trying to shut out competition for high-speed Internet connectivity by not honoring an agreement. Citynet didn't comment Monday. The PSC's order gives Frontier a framework for business moving forward, said a company spokesman Monday. He said there are some cases where Frontier has leased dark fiber to other providers, depending on need and provided there's an existing agreement to do so. "We provide broadband and voice services to all providers, including Citynet, in nearly every area of the state," the spokesman said. "In other instances, including the earlier ruling on a Charleston route that the Commission left undisturbed, Citynet will be expected to make its own investments in fiber optic facilities, just as other providers across the state do for their networks.”

The Alaska Plan is a forward-looking way to improve broadband deployment in the state and should be adopted, said General Communications in an ex parte letter posted Friday in FCC docket 14-58. The plan (see 1511240049) proposes a way to stretch existing universal service support further and retarget support to areas that most need it, while recognizing that Alaska's geographic and infrastructure challenges require a universal service plan to be tailored to the state, it said.